ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited , the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant joined the Nation in celebrating the Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti in Ukkunagaram today.Shri Atul Bhatt, CMD, RINL, garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and paid rich tributes in Mahatma Gandhi Park in Sector-8 of ukkunagaram township of Visakhapatnam steel plant.
Shri Atul Bhatt said that With his strong philosophy on non-violence and truth Mahatma Gandhi proved the world that the path ahead may not be the easy, but it is certainly the most effective method of achieving the goals. It was this belief that got him noticed and appreciated by historians as one of the greatest freedom fighters that the world had ever seen.”
Recitals from Bhagavadgita, Quoran, Gurugranth Sahib, Buddha Pravachanam, Bible were made on the occasion. Members of Visteel Mahila Samithi rendered bhajans on the occasion. Later, swachhata pledge was taken by CMD, Directors and all those were present at the programme.
In line with the communication received from Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions, Govt of India, Sri Atul Bhatt, CMD, RINL launched Special Swachta Campaign 2.0 which will be organised at RINL from 2nd October 2022 to 31st October 2022, today.
During the special swachhata campaign, focus will be given on space management, scrap disposal, record management, disposal of pending matters etc. A month-long activities like mass cleaning campaigns in different areas of the Plant and Mines, Bala Swachhta Jagruthi - an awareness program on ‘Personal Hygiene’ for school children, Parivarthana - an awareness program on ‘Menstrual Hygiene’ to girl students of high schools, Distribution of cloth bags, Safai Pakhwada, etc. have been planned during the campaign.
As part of this special Sri Atul Bhatt presented of “Door-to-Door Garbage Collection Vehicle” and “Push Carts” to Dr. S.Kiran Kumar, AMHO, GVMC, Gazuwaka which will support Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation Visakhapatnam in the Solid Waste Management in the surrounding areas of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. RINL will be presenting 65 Push Carts to GVMC.Later Sri Atul Bhatt inaugurated a Plog Run i.e., the activity of picking up trash/waste while jogging around Sector-8, Mahatma Gandhi Park via Sector-8 Complex which was organised by the Sports Department of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Sri Atul Bhatt, Mrs. Nupur Bhatt and directors distributed cloth bags to the Contract workers at Secror-8 Shopping Complex to create awareness and make a plastic free ukkunagaram township.
Senior officers of RINL, representatives of SEA, Union leaders, SC&ST association, representatives of Women in Public Sector and employees participated and also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
ZSI Scientists and Researchers Discovers a New Eel Species from Petuaghat, East Midnapur
Kolkata, May 13, 2022
Scientists and researchers of Estuarine Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India  have discovered a new Eel fish species basing on four specimens collected from the Petuaghat Fish Harbour, East Minapur, West Bengal by Dr Dipanjan Ray of Bajkul Milani Mahavidyalaya, East Midnapur, stated Dr Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI today. The new Eel species has been termed Congreed Eel by Dr Anil Mohapatra, Scientist, Estuarine Biology Regional Centre. He said the fish belongs to the order Anguilliformes and the species varies genetically from many species of the genus Rhynchoconger.
The team which is responsible for this new discovery, comprised two other researchers- Shri Subhrendu Sekhar Mishra and Smt Smrutirekha Acharya.
The newly discovered species has been named as Rhynchocongersmithito in honour of the renowned ichthyologist Dr D G Smith.
The species is distributed in the northern part of Bay of Bengal about a depth of 95 m. The colour of the species is olive brown dorsally and pale ventrally. A silvery patch is also present from posterior margin of eye to gill opening. The length of species is 576+ to 661+ mm. Recently, the new species has been published in the international journal “Journal of Fish Biology”.
Fishermen have also confirmed their capture from a depth of around 52 fathoms  by trawl net. Although the exact location of capture could not be determined, the fishermen typically operate trawl nets within the exclusive economic zone  of the Indian Bay of Bengal.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
192.67 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 14,971
Active cases stand at 0.03%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.75%
1,977 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,26,02,714
2,124 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
84.79 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 4,58,924 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Special Service and Features
Distribution of Bags with Jute Mark Logo and Swachchata Abhiyaan Activities among Students
The Jute industry is one of the major industries in the eastern region of India, particularly in West Bengal. Jute, known as the “Golden Fibre”, is basically, natural, renewable, biodegradable and meets all standards for 'safe' packaging.National Jute Board undertakes various activities / promotional schemes for the overall growth and development of jute sector.
National Jute Board distributedJute Bags with Jute Mark Logo and organised SwachchataAbhiyaan Activities among Studentsof “Sri Chaitanya Techno School”, Keelkattalai, Chennai on 7thDec'22.
NJB distributed nearly 1,000 Jute bags free of cost  to create awareness among the students about the newly introduced Jute Mark Logo. “JuteMark India Logo - is a new initiative by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, to promote and protect Indian jute products.
“Jute Mark India Logo”
Shri.T. Ayyappan, Head-Marketing, National Jute Board, Kolkata& Chennai, presided the event, and distributed Jute bags  to all the students in the August presence of Smt. B. Sasirekha, Principal, Sri Chaitanya Techno School. A Sanitary Kit, was also presented as part of SwachchataAbhiyaan Activitiesby Shri.T.Ayyappan, Head-Marketing, National Jute Board .Cleaning of Campus was also done,as part of “SwachchataAbhiyaan Activities”during the event.
Considering the ban on single-use plastic across India, Mr.T.Ayyappan, advisedthe Students to avoid using "single-use plastic bags" and to use eco-friendly Jute bags to save future generations.Smt. B. Sasirekha, Principal, Sri Chaitanya Techno School, made all the arrangements for the Jute Awareness programme.
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Ministry of Steel
SAIL announces the results of the "SAIL Swarna Jayanti Story Writing Competition—2022."
The Steel Authority of India Limited  today announced the results of the "SAIL Golden Jubilee Story Writing Competition - 2022," launched on May 27, 2022, during its current "Golden Jubilee Year" . The competition, held in both Hindi and English, focused on "SAIL's contribution to nation-building over the last five decades."
Shri Dani Prasad Sharma of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, has won the first prize in the Hindi category. Dr. Kamlesh Gogia of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, won the 2nd prize and Shri. Ramesh Chand of Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi, was declared the 3rd prize winner. Ms. Animika Sahai of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, has won the consolation prize.
In the English category, Ms. Sumona Rathaur of Durgapur, West Bengal, has won the first prize. Three people won the second prize: Ms. Anindita Mahapatra of Rourkela, Odisha, Ms. Munmun Mittra of Rourkela, Odisha, Mr. Abhilash Kumar Sharma of Burnpur, West Bengal. Similarly, the 3rd Prize was also won by three persons: Mr. Rajib Banerjee of Ranchi, Jharkhand, Mr. Piyush Kamal of Burnpur, West Bengal; and Ms. Advika Sahai of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The consolation prize was also split among three people.
The competition was organised to provide an opportunity for the participants to showcase their creativity and writing skills, in which a large number of participants from across the country participated and showcased the role of SAIL in building the nation and society in the last five decades through their stories. The winners will be awarded attractive prizes and certificates. All the participants will be provided with participation certificates.
Prime Minister's Office
PM expresses happiness over setting up of National Recruitment Agency
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over setting up of National Recruitment Agency.
The Prime Minister said, "The National Recruitment Agency will prove to be a boon for crores of youngsters. Through the Common Eligibility Test, it will eliminate multiple tests and save precious time as well as resources. This will also be a big boost to transparency."
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 109.08 Cr
More than 59 Lakh doses administered in the last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently at 98.25%
10,126 New Cases reported in the last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload is lowest in 263 days
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 2% for last 46 days
With the administration of 59,08,440 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 109.08 Cr  as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 1,10,77,727sessions.
The break-up of the cumulative figureas per the provisional report till 7 am today include:
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,03,79,716
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
92,78,114
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,83,72,971
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
1,60,57,391
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
42,58,89,106
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
15,44,27,554
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
17,67,16,342
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
10,01,83,701
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
11,08,04,805
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
6,87,06,656
|
|
Total
|
|
1,09,08,16,356
The recovery of 11,982 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients  to 3,37,75,086.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.25%.
Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 50,000 Daily New Cases that is being reported for 135 consecutive days now.
10,126 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
The Active Caseload is presently at1,40,638 is lowest in 263 days. Active cases presently constitute 0.41% of the country's total Positive Cases, which is lowest since March 2020.
The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of
10,85,848tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 61.72 Cr  cumulative tests.
While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 1.25% remains less than 2% for the last 46 days now. The Daily Positivity rate reported to be 0.93%. The daily Positivity rate has remained below2% for last 36 days and below 3% for 71 consecutive days now.
Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM's statement ahead of Monsoon session of Parliament, 2022
Namaskar friends,
This session has a connection with weather. Now monsoon is fast approaching in Delhi too. Yet the temperature outside is not dropping and I am not sure if the heat inside the House will also subside or not. This period is extremely significant as we are celebrating 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. August 15 holds special significance; and after 25 years when the country celebrates the centenary of Indian Independence, we should plan on how our journey of 25 years should be like; how fast can we stride ahead and how can we reach newer heights? This period is about making such resolutions and giving a direction to the nation by being devoted to those resolutions. The House should lead the country. All the honourable members of the House should become instrumental in instilling new energy into the nation. Therefore, this session is also very important from that point of view.
This session is also crucial because elections to the posts of President and the Vice President are being held at the same time. Voting is also underway today. And in this period, the tenure of the new President and the new Vice-President will also begin.
We always consider the House as an efficient medium of communication, a pilgrimage centre where a dialogue and discussion can take place with an open mind. Debates, criticism and a detailed analysis of things also take place to make a very positive contribution to policies and decisions. I would urge all the respected MPs to make the House as much productive and fruitful as possible with deep thinking and a deep and detailed discussion. That's why everyone should co-operate and democracy thrives only through everyone's efforts. The House runs because of everyone's efforts. It is with the efforts of everyone that the House takes the best decision. And therefore, while fulfilling our duties to enhance the dignity of the House, we should make the most use of this session in the national interest. And we should always remember that we need to fulfil the dreams of those who had dedicated their youth and their entire lives for freedom, and had spent their lives in jails and the sacrifices they had made. I just hope that keeping their dreams in mind, as 15th August is approaching, we should ensure that the House is used most positively in the best possible way.
Heartiest thanks to you all!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s statement. Original statement was delivered in Hindi.
Ministry of Power
NHPC conducts Covid – 19 test and vaccination camp at NHPC Corporate Office
In line with call for fight against Covid-19 by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and as per directions of Shri R.K. Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State   & Minister of State , Government of India, NHPC organized Covid-19 testing and Vaccination camp at NHPC Corporate Office, Faridabad on 27th May 2021. A total of 63 persons  including NHPC employees and their family members received their first dosage of Covishield vaccine during the drive. The contract workers and security personnel engaged by NHPC also benefitted from the camp.
RT – PCR test and Covid-19 vaccination being carried out at RT- PCR testing and Covid-19 vaccination camp at NHPC Corporate Office on 27.05.2021.
The RT-PCR testing was done through Metropolis Healthcare Ltd., Faridabad and the Vaccination Camp was done through ESI Dispensary, Faridabad. The Covid-19 testing and Vaccination camp was carried out with full safety precautions and following guidelines.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari reviews the progress of work on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Sohna in Haryana, Dausa and Bundi in Rajasthan, Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh
On a two day visit Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari reviewed the progress of work on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Sohna in Haryana, Dausa and Bundi in Rajasthan, Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. In Sohna, Shri Gadkari along with Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri M.L. Khattar and Union Minister, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh reviewed the progress of the expressway. In Haryana, 160 km of road construction will take place out of which 130 kms of work has already been awarded. The Minister said by joining Haryana with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, this expressway will promote prosperity and development in the area. Shri Gadkari said that in Delhi NCR region 15 projects have been sanctioned worth Rs. 53000 Crores in which the work is on for 14 projects. With the completion of these projects the air pollution in Delhi NCR will be drastically reduced and the problem of traffic jams will also be resolved. He said that 1,380 kms long Delhi Mumbai Expressway is the longest expressway of the country and will be ready by March, 2023.
In Dausa in Rajasthan, Shri Gadkari was joined by State Minister Dr. B.D. Kalla and Members of parliament Smt. Jaskaur Meena,Dr. Kirodi Lal Meena and former MP Shri Ramnarain Meena. In Rajasthan, 374 kms road construction will take place at a cost of Rs. 16,600 crores. Shri Gadkari said this expressway will help in the development of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Swai Madhopur Tonk, Bundi and Kota districts. He said with the development of this section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, the distance between Delhi to Jaipur will be covered in two hours only.
Shri Gadkari inspected the progress of Delhi-Mumbai expressway at Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh along with Members of Parliament Shri Sudhir Gupta, Shri Guman Singh, Shri Anil Firozia . Shri Gadkari said 245 km of expressway in the state will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 11,000 crores. He said the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Chambal Expressway will be the growth engines for Madhya Pradesh. He said they will open several avenues for employment and promote handloom and handicrafts and other enterprises in the region.He said, Ratlam is the main center of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and with the support of the State Government all efforts will be made to develop logistic hubs for industrial development.
Ministry of Coal
Coal Ministry Holds Pre-Bid Meeting for 7th round of Commercial Mining Auction
The Ministry of Coal conducted the pre-bid meeting here today for the coal mines put up for auction under 7th round of commercial coal mines’ auctions, launched on March 29, 2023. The pre-bid meeting was chaired by Shri M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary & Nominated Authority, Ministry of Coal and attended by representative of more than 50 companies. A total of 106 coal mines are under offer for auctions in 7th round.
Presentations were made by SBI Capital Markets Ltd and CMPDIL. Shri M Nagaraju urged the bidders to participate in large numbers and contribute to the energy security of the country. He reaffirmed the commitment of the Ministry of Coal in extending support to the bidders and requested to undertake proper due-diligence to understand the viability of the coal mines.
AL/RKP
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Discovered Small Field Bid Round-III launched;
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan calls for adopting innovative ways for early resource monetization;
Says work on DSF should be done at fast speed and on a mission-mode
Discovered Small Field  bid round-III for international competitive bidding was launched today, at an event chaired by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel. The virtual event was attended by more than 450 participants including major E&P players, prospective new entrants and service providers.
Delivering his keynote address on the occasion, Shri Pradhan asked DG, Hydrocarbons & the Petroleum Ministry to devise innovative ways for early resource monetisation, including expediting production timelines under DSF I & II. He urged that the work on DSF should be done at exponential speed and on a mission-mode to monetise our natural resources for greater public welfare. He said that inauguration of DSF bid round III is one more concrete step towards unlocking resources.
Shri Pradhan said that Modi government has consistently revitalised regulatory regimes to prioritise domestic production of oil & gas and to unleash the full hydrocarbon potential of India. He said that the government has had the political capital to carry out reform agendas across the oil and gas sector. Shri Pradhan said that reforms in the E&P sector have simplified procedures, ushered in transparency, removed bottlenecks and made India an attractive hub for new investments.
The Secretary, MoPNG, Director General, DGH and Additional Secretary  also spoke on the occasion.
DSF bid round-III is offering 32 Contract Areas which comprise of 75 discoveries. These fields are spread over 9 sedimentary basins covering more than 13,000 square kilometers with Inplace Hydrocarbon estimated to be around 230 MMT. Geoscientific data for fields on offer will be showcased through Data Room with interpretation facilities which would assist the potential bidder in making informed decision. An online pre-bid conference will be scheduled on 30th June 2021 to clarify the doubts of bidders. The bidders will be able to submit their bids till 31st August 2021.
Encouraged by the success of DSF bid rounds-I &II, the Government of India has extended the DSF Policy by launching DSF bid round-III. Previous two DSF rounds had a resounding success. In DSF Round – I launched in 2016, 134 bids were submitted for 34 contract areas by 47 companies. 30 Revenue Sharing Contracts were signed. In DSF Round – II launched in 2018, 145 bids were submitted for 24 contract area. 24 Revenue Sharing Contracts were signed.
Government of India had launched Discovered Small Field  Policy in 2015 which was a monumental step for awarding discovered acreages and monetize the unmonetized discoveries. The DSF policy has multiple attractive features like revenue sharing contract model with low regulatory burden, no minimum biddable work programme, no prior technical qualification required, no upfront signature bonus, etc.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
SAI, Pritam Siwach teams win big on opening day of 2nd Khelo India women's hockey league U-21
The 2nd Khelo India Women's Hockey League Under 21 was inaugurated at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium New Delhi on Sunday with the unveiling of trophies by Shri Harbinder Singh Arjuna Awardee 1964 Gold Medalist of Olympics  and Shri Devesh Chauhan Arjuna Awardee Double Olympian.
A total of two matches were played today in which Sports Authority of India A team defeated Salute Hockey Academy by 13-0 and Pritam Siwach Hockey Academy defeated HIM Hockey Academy by 11-0.
Harbinder Singh, who has represented India in three Olympics and who is also a member of the National Selection Committee of Hockey India, was present as the chief guest on the occasion of the inauguration of the 2nd Khelo India Women's Hockey League. He said that the Government of India organising the women's hockey league is a very commendable effort. He added, "In the coming times from these Khelo India Leagues, the country will get such promising players who will play for India and also win medals in the Olympics.
"I congratulate Khelo India and Sports Authority of India for successfully organizing the last two Women's Khelo India Leagues held this year and last year in U-21 and U-16 categories. I wish all the participating teams and players all the best."
Devesh Chauhan, present as a guest of honour on this occasion, who has represented India in two Olympics, while expressing his views said that the Government of India is providing a lot of opportunities to the talented players to improve their performance through the Khelo India Leagues. Now it is the responsibility of every player to work hard and try to fulfill his dream of playing for India.
Also on this occasion, Piyush Dubey  who has been the coach of the Indian men's hockey team that won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, was present along with the administrator of the National Stadium Shri Dilip Singh National Stadium.
Ministry of Defence
Telecall between Raksha Mantri and US Secretary of Defence
US Secretary of Defence Mr Lloyd Austin made a telephone call to Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh today evening. Both the leaders discussed bilateral and regional matters, including developments in Afghanistan. They discussed defence cooperation and looked forward to working closely.
The Raksha Mantri and Secretary Austin also exchanged views about combating terrorism in the region. Both sides appreciated the mutual cooperation in the recent evacuation operations in Afghanistan and agreed to remain in regular contact in view of the evolving situation.
ABB/Nampi/Savvy
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